Improved device for working jib-sails



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN lV. SHARRET, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVED DEVICE FOR. WORKING JIB-SAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,645, dated December27, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN W. SHARRET, ot' of Portsmouth, Norfolk county,and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and use- Improvementsin Sail-Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of thisspeciiication, in which-Figurelis a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of a sail-vessel,showing the manner of attaching the jib-sheet to the traveler and mast.Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section, showing the catches applied tothe bar on which the traveler works. Fig. 3 is an end' view showing thetripping-lever applied to one end ot" the traveler-bar for lifting thecatch and releasing the traveler. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of asloop having my invention applied to it.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The object of this invention is to so arrange the jib-sheet that thejibcan be hauled in at anytime, when it is necessary to tack or change thecourse of the vessel,without danger to life or limb or liability to missstays.

Another object oi' my invention is to provide for retaining the.traveler-ring at either end of its bar-when the vessel is working towindward-until it is desired to go about, when said traveler can bereleased by the man at the helm or by a person stationed forward, aswill be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, l willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A representis a horizontal bar extendingacross the vessel in front ot' the mast B. This bar receives upon it aring, a, which is connected, by means of a pulley and t-he jlb-sheet b,to the lowermost corner of the jib. The ring or traveler a is thusallowed to play back and forth on the bar A and accommodate itself tothe movements of the jib in swinging from one side to the other of thevessel. Hitherto it has been the practice to attach the jib-sheet to theside or gunwale of the vessel, and when it is necessary to tack orchange the course of the vessel the jib must be hauled in by means ofthe jib-sheet and held until the vessel is ready for stays. In someinstances it is-very dangerous to manage the jih, particularly when thetraveler-ring is rapidly thrown from one side to the other of the vesseland the latter is lying with its gun Wale submerged in the water. Toobviate these objections and to facilitate .the management of the ]'ibwhen the vessel is sailing to windward, I carry the jib-sheet b from theblock e aloft, and pass it through a block, f, which is attached to themast B, thence it is carried down and attached to a'cleat, g, which islocated in a convenient position on the mast. By this arrangement thejb-sheet is always in a position where it can be convenientlyused forhauling in the jib and confining it to the traveler-bar until the courseof the vessel is changed. Near the extreme ends of the bar A, andunderneath of the same, I apply latches h h, which are pivoted inrecesses cut in said bar in such manner that when the outer ends ofthese latches are raised to their fullest extent they will allow thetraveler a to play back and forth the full length of the bar withoutmeeting with any obstruction; but when these catches h It are allowed todrop down and rest upon the horizontal ar'ms ot' rectangular levers n nthe traveler will be caught and held in the catches, as indicated in redin Fig. 2. The levers n a are pivoted within boxes D D, and otherwise soarranged that by drawing on the ropes S S the catches will be thrown upand the traveler a released. The ropes S Sare carried aft along thesides ot' the gunwale, and arranged in a position convenient to the manstationed at the helm, who is thus enabled to release the traveler a atthe proper time. By this arrangement the jib will be always confined byeither one or the other catch h, except when the traveler is allowed tocross the deck in bringing the vessel round to the wind. Y

It will be seen from the above description that my invention can beapplied to a vessel at a very small cost and without materially'altering the traveler-bar or the rigging of the jib.

Having thus described my invention, what devices, applied ai; or nearthe ends of the I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettraveler-barA, substantially in the manner ters Patent, isand for the purposesdescribed.

l. The application of the jib-sheet to the y mast B, substantially inthe manner and for Witnesses: the purposes described. JOs. KLEPPER, l

2. The use of catches h h, or equivalent XVM. T. WARRINGTON.

JOHN VV. SHARRET.

